Winter Time Rendering

December 8, 2012.

Saturday. Early morning.

Zhang Shutong yawned and opened his eyes.

He hadn’t slept well. He was the type who couldn’t sleep in unfamiliar beds. He’d just spent two days sleeping at his own home and was finally getting used to it, only to move to a new place again last night.

The mattress here was very soft, so soft his body sank into it slightly. He wasn’t used to it.

He pulled open the curtains, and the early morning winter sun made him squint.

The air was filled with a light mist, and what looked like dewdrops clung to the artificial turf. Only now could he see the true appearance of this mountainside villa.

He opened the window to get some fresh air. The chill was invigorating.

It was the kind of morning that put you in a good mood.

He quickly washed up and pushed open his door. The hallway was a completely different world from the view outside his window. It was a closed-off, narrow space. Looking down, he saw a deep brown wool carpet that calmly covered the floor, filling his entire field of vision. But when he looked up...

...he saw a girl.

A girl with a noble air and appearance emerged from the classical-looking hallway.

But she seemed to have just woken up and hadn’t washed up yet. She was squinting her normally vibrant eyes, her brow slightly furrowed. Her beautiful hair was a bit of a mess, with a few mischievous strands stuck to her rosy lips.

She was still in that same velvet robe. The deep red fabric was a stark contrast to her snow-white skin. The robe was no longer as neat as it had been last night; it was now wrapped askew around her, yet it couldn’t hide her slender figure, only making her chest appear particularly full.

"Morning."

Zhang Shutong nodded at Gu Qiuyan. The sight of her reminded him of the bright scenery he had just seen outside the window, seeming to sweep away the stuffiness of the hallway.

"Mm... Morning," the young miss mumbled in reply, then she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Time seemed to stand still.

He watched as the girl’s eyes slowly widened, and her small, cherry-like mouth, still with a strand of hair stuck to it, gradually formed an "O" shape, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

At the same time, her astonishingly fair face began to flush, the color rising at a visible rate. With a startled "Ah!", Gu Qiuyan quickly hid herself back behind her door.

In that instant, the noble girl was like a fugitive princess, and Zhang Shutong was the knight from an enemy kingdom sent to hunt her down. He had utterly routed the young miss, sending her fleeing in disarray.

The heavy door slammed shut, and the hallway fell silent once more. This led Zhang Shutong to two conclusions:

First, no wonder she was so fair, with skin as smooth as fine cream. It was because her skin was thin—in the literal, physical sense.

Second, had she... forgotten, after a night’s sleep, that he was staying here?

’How dumb.’

Zhang Shutong had heard of people being grumpy when they wake up, but this was the first time he’d seen someone be dumb when they wake up.

He took the elevator downstairs and saw Song chatting with the nanny. He was already fully dressed, his white shirt ironed more neatly than Zhang Shutong had ever seen it. He looked just like a business elite. The man let out a hearty laugh from time to time.

’Song really doesn’t look half bad when he cleans up.’

"Shutong, how’d you sleep last night?"

But he blew his cover the very next moment. His homeroom teacher winked at him with a sly grin.

"It was okay."

"Yeah, ’okay’ sounds about right. I think you’ve got some serious self-control to be able to fall asleep at all."

He said this with the profound smile of an adult looking at a little kid. Then, he put on a stern face and, with the full moral authority of a teacher, interrogated him:

"By the way, why did I hear Qiumian cry out just now? What trouble did you get into this time, you brat? This is her house, you know. As your teacher, I’ve got to keep a close eye on you."

But no matter how he heard it, Zhang Shutong felt there was something off about his words. It was as if Song was implying he could get into trouble as long as it wasn’t in her house.

So he explained calmly,

"She seemed to have forgotten we were staying here."

If Qingyi and the others had been there, Zhang Shutong would have used a more vivid analogy: it was like a Trainer waking up one morning to see their Greninja had evolved into Kamekame, and being so surprised they turned red in the face.

Song had an expression that said, ’Is that all?’ But it was the nanny standing to the side who picked up the conversation, explaining with a light chuckle, "Mianmian has low blood sugar, so she’s often a bit dazed when she wakes up. Did she startle you?"

The nanny was a woman in her early forties. She wasn’t tall, had wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and gave off a gentle and kind feeling.

"Not at all," Zhang Shutong was quiet, not impolite, especially after seeing his freshly laundered clothes on the sofa. "I forgot to thank you last night, ma’am. The noodles were delicious."

"It’s no trouble. If you want to eat them again, just let Mianmian know. You chat with your teacher for now; I’ll go up and check on her."

With a nod to Song, she left, leaving the teacher and student alone in the living room.

Zhang Shutong thought that Gu Qiuyan and her nanny must have a good relationship, otherwise she wouldn’t have used her nickname.

He then discussed some serious matters with Song. Song Nanshan said the police had called back this morning. It was indeed people from the commercial street who were responsible, and he had to go to the station later to give a statement.

"Our running around yesterday wasn’t for nothing. I’d call this a resounding success." Song stretched. "I heard even the city leaders were alerted. With the example set by those five, even if others on the street are unhappy with her family, they’ll have to think twice before trying anything in the future."

Zhang Shutong nodded. It really was about making an example of them.

He then asked Song how the five would be dealt with. Song replied, "Well, that’s what I was about to tell you. They’ll definitely be charged with attempted arson, no doubt about it. I hear they’re trying to get them on more serious charges, but we’ll have to wait for Qiumian’s dad to get back to know the final outcome."

"Her dad called back?"

"Yep, called this morning. Actually, after I told him about the commercial street incident yesterday, he’d already sent some trusted people over. They should arrive tomorrow at the earliest."

"He’ll be a bit later himself, but he booked a ticket overnight. Said he’s dropping his business negotiations."

"Business?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled, lowering his voice.

"Mainly business, everything else is just incidental. Come on, let’s talk outside." Song led him out of the house. "How should I put this... Anyway, for a man of her father’s wealth... basically no one can control him. Moral constraints in the real world are meaningless. And, well, look at him. He hasn’t remarried all these years. Even if he... ’you know’... it’s just a side-thing when he goes off-island for business. In a way, that’s him making a statement. It means that no matter what, his daughter comes first."

Song started on his ’man talk’ again:

"The same person can have different identities. A man can be a bastard sometimes, but when he’s a father, he’s still reliable."

Zhang Shutong understood. In short, Boss Gu still put his daughter first in his heart. For some reason, this made him let out a sigh of relief.

He then heard Song Nanshan say,

"I guess Qiumian’s own feelings about this are complicated. Anyway, just don’t ask what you’re not supposed to ask."

’Of course.’

Zhang Shutong nodded again.

But then Song Nanshan suddenly said meaningfully,

"Don’t you go learning to be such a bastard in the future, kid."

Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes, turned, and went back inside, not intending to entertain such a pointless question.

’I have no idea how the topic turned to me. Besides, does he really think it’s that easy to be a bastard? First, a girl would actually have to show up in my life.’

...

The next time he saw Gu Qiuyan was at breakfast. She was sitting right across from him.

Unfortunately, perhaps because he had seen her "disheveled" side this morning, the young miss felt she had lost a lot of face and was now glaring at him again.

Breakfast was fried bacon and meat patties, along with a few cold side dishes—a mix of Western and Chinese. She had now reverted to being the noble young miss, holding her knife and fork with great elegance. It was just that she seemed to be at war with her meat patty, which she had already cut into strips, only to divide them into even smaller pieces.

This was their last meal at the Gu Family Villa. After they finished eating, it would be time for them to leave.

Song had originally wanted to take the two of them out for fun on the island, but now that the crisis was completely resolved and Gu Qiuyan was safe, he didn’t insist. Besides, he had to go to the police station this morning, so he would just drop Zhang Shutong off in the city.

As for Zhang Shutong himself, he was just as busy this morning. Ruoping had just been rushing him on QQ, saying they had to meet in front of Peiyi Mall. They were going to shop and browse, and she had bombarded him with countless messages. What’s more, they had to keep it a secret from Du Kang, so they couldn’t talk about it in the small group chat.

Because today’s activity was just for the three of them—her, Qingyi, and himself. The reason being, it was a surprise for Du Kang.

It was clearly Du Kang’s birthday, yet he himself was being mercilessly excluded.

Zhang Shutong felt that everyone was tacitly aware of the situation. Take Du Kang, for example. On a normal weekend, he’d have been unable to sit still, already spamming the group chat. But today, he hadn’t even sent a single panda head sticker or spammed the chat at all. He was extremely calm, all but saying, ’Go on, you guys, I don’t know anything.’

Today was calm and peaceful. Zhang Shutong was eating the most lavish breakfast he’d had since the regression, stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth while freeing one hand to type. Then he heard Gu Qiuyan ask, "Who are you chatting with?"

Zhang Shutong said it was a friend, but she snorted. "Let me guess, it’s Feng Ruoping, isn’t it? What, when you said you were going out with friends, you meant she asked you out?"

A woman’s intuition is truly terrifying. Zhang Shutong nodded in affirmation, but Gu Qiuyan said no more.

"What about you? What are your plans for today?" Zhang Shutong asked, returning the favor.

"Haven’t decided yet. I’ll just be at home, I guess." She rolled her eyes. "What else is there to do?"

"What about your little friends?"

"I don’t want to see them."

"I thought you’d be going out with them, like usual."

"Not in the mood today."

’So this is what low blood sugar looks like.’

Zhang Shutong stopped talking, finished his own breakfast, and habitually went to the sink to wash his plate and put it away.

From the kitchen window, he could also see the artificial lawn. The difference was, the dark shadow he had seen last night was gone—the poisoned guard dog had been taken away by the police.

The lawn therefore looked very clean. Looking further out, there was a stretch of desolate, wild land overgrown with withered grass, silently shrouded in a cold, thin mist that stretched on without end.

Only at times like this—even though the villa was fully equipped with everything one could need—would Zhang Shutong be reminded that it was built in the most remote part of the island.

December 8, 2012. Saturday.

The morning sets the tone for the day. Before it was even over, the group had already arranged their schedules.

Song had to go to the police station to give his statement;

He had to go shopping with his best friends;

And Gu Qiuyan was going to stay alone in the villa—at least, that’s what it sounded like from what she said.

He gazed out the window for a while longer. He had long since lost the habit of watching TV, so he returned to the dining table and sat down.

—Song had just stepped out to take a call and was only now starting to eat, so it would still be a while before they could leave.

Gu Qiuyan was also eating absently. She chewed in small bites and ate without speaking, very much in the manner of a well-bred lady.

Zhang Shutong grew bored of waiting. He propped an arm on the table and asked her,

"Have you figured out what you’re going to do at home?"

"Play the piano, or find a movie to watch."

"Your yolk is running out," Zhang Shutong pointed out. ’Cutting a fried egg with a knife is such a waste.’

"Why do you keep watching me eat?"

Zhang Shutong just said, "Oh," and turned to stare at the lawn outside instead.

Her house had all sorts of decorations and furnishings, but the only downside was the lack of magazines. In a place this remote, you couldn’t get a newspaper subscription either. It was truly boring.

Bored, Zhang Shutong rested his chin in his hand.

"Speaking of which, I have a few movie recommendations."

"I don’t need your recommendations. I don’t have time to watch."

"Busy?"

"Very busy." She continued her staring contest with the meat patty on her plate.

"Then don’t be."

Taking one last look at the mist-shrouded fields outside the window, the young man averted his gaze and extended an invitation to the girl across from him:

"Come with me later."